BAYOU LA BATRE, Alabama – The bayou’s next mayor will be chosen in a special election on Aug. 13, according to Mobile County Probate Judge Don Davis.

On Wednesday, Davis sent out a news release about the election, which will pick a successor to ousted former mayor Stan Wright, who was convicted of four federal conspiracy charges with more than three years left on his term, which began last fall.

The special election will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at the Bayou La Batre polling place at the Bayou La Batre Community Center, 12745 Padgett Switch Rd. Should a runoff election be necessary, it will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 24.

Possible candidates who have resided within the city for at least 90 days prior to Aug. 13 can qualify to run for the mayoral position from 8 a.m. June 11, to 5 p.m. June 25. The appropriate forms and fees can be submitted at the county election center, Mobile County Government Center Annex, at 151 Government St. in downtown Mobile.

After Wright’s conviction, the five-member Bayou La Batre Town Council had 60 days to appoint someone to take his place. After that period ended, Bentley was allowed 30 days to make an appointment, which he declined to do.

On April 30, in a letter to Judge Davis, Bentley told Davis, “I am writing to notify you that I am unable or unwilling to make the appointment.”

All three could be candidates in the August special election, although a spokesman for Bentley said the purpose of their visit was only to gather information about the town; that the governor always intended to “let the people decide.”